Telebot: Send Messages As Bot With /msg And /msgU Commands

Aug 15, 2025 by Ahmed Latif 59 views

How to Write Messages on Behalf of a Bot Using Telebot in Python

So, you want to create a Telegram bot using Telebot in Python that can send messages on its own, huh? You're in the right place! Let's dive into how you can implement /msg and /msgU commands to make your bot send messages like a pro. We'll cover everything you need to know, from setting up the commands to handling user IDs from a text file. Get ready, guys, because we're about to level up your bot-building skills!

Setting Up the Telebot Environment

Before we jump into the code, let’s make sure you have everything set up. First, you'll need to install the pyTelegramBotAPI library, which is the heart of Telebot. If you haven't already, fire up your terminal and run:

pip install pyTelegramBotAPI

Once that's done, you'll need your bot's token. You can get this from BotFather on Telegram. Just talk to BotFather, create a new bot, and it will give you a token. Keep this token safe; it's like the key to your bot's kingdom!

Now, let's lay the groundwork for our bot. We'll import the telebot library and create an instance of the TeleBot class. This is where your bot comes to life. You'll also want to set up some basic error handling to keep things smooth. Remember, even bots have bad days, so we need to be prepared.

import telebot

TOKEN = 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN'
bot = telebot.TeleBot(TOKEN)

@bot.message_handler(func=lambda message: True)
def echo_all(message):
 try:
 bot.reply_to(message, message.text)
 except Exception as e:
 print(f"Error: {e}")

bot.infinity_polling()

In this snippet, we've imported the library, set up the bot with your token, and added a simple echo handler. This handler just repeats whatever the user says, which is a great way to test if your bot is up and running. Now, let's get to the juicy part – implementing the /msg and /msgU commands.

Implementing the `/msg` Command

The /msg command is designed to send a message to all users who have interacted with your bot. This means you'll need a way to store user IDs. A simple text file can do the trick for now, but for larger applications, you might want to consider a database. Let's start with the text file approach. We'll create a function to read user IDs from a file and another to write them.

def read_user_ids(filename='user_ids.txt'):
 try:
 with open(filename, 'r') as f:
 return [int(user_id) for user_id in f.read().splitlines()]
 except FileNotFoundError:
 return []

def write_user_id(user_id, filename='user_ids.txt'):
 with open(filename, 'a') as f:
 f.write(str(user_id) + '\n')

These functions handle reading and writing user IDs to a file named user_ids.txt. Now, we need to create a handler for the /msg command. This handler will extract the message text from the command, retrieve the user IDs, and send the message to each user. Error handling is crucial here, so we'll wrap the sending part in a try-except block. Always anticipate problems and handle them gracefully!

@bot.message_handler(commands=['msg'])
def send_message_to_all(message):
 try:
 text = message.text.split(' ', 1)[1]
 except IndexError:
 bot.reply_to(message, "Please provide a message to send.")
 return

 user_ids = read_user_ids()
 for user_id in user_ids:
 try:
 bot.send_message(user_id, text)
 except Exception as e:
 print(f"Error sending message to {user_id}: {e}")

 bot.reply_to(message, "Message sent to all users.")

In this handler, we first extract the text from the message. If there's no text, we prompt the user to provide one. Then, we read the user IDs from the file and loop through them, sending the message to each user. We also include error handling for individual messages, so if one fails, it doesn't stop the whole process. This is robustness in action!

Implementing the `/msgU` Command

The /msgU command is designed to send a message to a specific user ID. This is useful for targeted messages or testing. The handler for this command will be similar to the /msg handler, but it will take a user ID as an argument. We'll extract the user ID and the message text, then send the message to that specific user.

@bot.message_handler(commands=['msgU'])
def send_message_to_user(message):
 try:
 user_id, text = message.text.split(' ', 2)[1:]
 user_id = int(user_id)
 except (IndexError, ValueError):
 bot.reply_to(message, "Please provide a user ID and a message.")
 return

 try:
 bot.send_message(user_id, text)
 bot.reply_to(message, f"Message sent to user {user_id}.")
 except Exception as e:
 bot.reply_to(message, f"Error sending message: {e}")

Here, we extract the user ID and text from the message. We also include error handling for invalid user IDs or missing text. If everything is valid, we send the message to the specified user. This command provides precision in your bot's messaging capabilities.

Storing User IDs

Now, you might be wondering, how do we get those user IDs in the first place? We need to modify our bot to store the user ID whenever someone interacts with it. We can do this by adding a handler that gets triggered on any message and then stores the user ID if it's not already in our file.

@bot.message_handler(func=lambda message: True)
def handle_user_id(message):
 user_id = message.chat.id
 user_ids = read_user_ids()
 if user_id not in user_ids:
 write_user_id(user_id)
 print(f"New user ID saved: {user_id}")

This handler retrieves the user ID from the message and checks if it's already in our list. If not, it adds the user ID to the file. This ensures that we're only storing unique user IDs, which keeps our list clean and efficient. This is smart data handling!

Putting It All Together

Let's combine all the pieces into a single script. This will give you a complete picture of how everything works together. Remember to replace 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN' with your actual bot token.

import telebot

TOKEN = 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN'
bot = telebot.TeleBot(TOKEN)

def read_user_ids(filename='user_ids.txt'):
 try:
 with open(filename, 'r') as f:
 return [int(user_id) for user_id in f.read().splitlines()]
 except FileNotFoundError:
 return []

def write_user_id(user_id, filename='user_ids.txt'):
 with open(filename, 'a') as f:
 f.write(str(user_id) + '\n')

@bot.message_handler(commands=['msg'])
def send_message_to_all(message):
 try:
 text = message.text.split(' ', 1)[1]
 except IndexError:
 bot.reply_to(message, "Please provide a message to send.")
 return

 user_ids = read_user_ids()
 for user_id in user_ids:
 try:
 bot.send_message(user_id, text)
 except Exception as e:
 print(f"Error sending message to {user_id}: {e}")

 bot.reply_to(message, "Message sent to all users.")

@bot.message_handler(commands=['msgU'])
def send_message_to_user(message):
 try:
 user_id, text = message.text.split(' ', 2)[1:]
 user_id = int(user_id)
 except (IndexError, ValueError):
 bot.reply_to(message, "Please provide a user ID and a message.")
 return

 try:
 bot.send_message(user_id, text)
 bot.reply_to(message, f"Message sent to user {user_id}.")
 except Exception as e:
 bot.reply_to(message, f"Error sending message: {e}")

@bot.message_handler(func=lambda message: True)
def handle_user_id(message):
 user_id = message.chat.id
 user_ids = read_user_ids()
 if user_id not in user_ids:
 write_user_id(user_id)
 print(f"New user ID saved: {user_id}")

if __name__ == '__main__':
 bot.infinity_polling()

This script includes everything we've discussed: setting up the bot, reading and writing user IDs, and handling the /msg and /msgU commands. You can run this script, and your bot will be able to send messages on its own! This is empowerment for your bot!

Tips and Best Practices

Before you deploy your bot into the wild, here are a few tips and best practices to keep in mind:

Error Handling: We've touched on error handling, but it's worth emphasizing. Always wrap your bot's critical operations in try-except blocks. This prevents your bot from crashing due to unexpected errors.
Rate Limiting: Telegram has rate limits to prevent abuse. If you're sending a lot of messages, be sure to implement delays to avoid getting your bot blocked. The time.sleep() function can be your friend here.
Security: If you're storing sensitive information, like user IDs, consider using a secure database and encrypting the data. Security is paramount!
User Experience: Make your bot user-friendly. Provide clear instructions and feedback. A happy user is a returning user.
Logging: Implement logging to track your bot's activity. This can be invaluable for debugging and monitoring performance.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! You now know how to write messages on behalf of your bot using Telebot in Python. We've covered setting up the environment, implementing the /msg and /msgU commands, storing user IDs, and best practices. With these skills, you can create powerful and engaging bots that interact with your users in meaningful ways. Go forth and build amazing things, guys! And remember, the only limit is your imagination. Keep coding, keep learning, and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible with bots!